Anthony Daniels: C-3PO reduced to “table decoration” in The Last Jedi
C-3PO is one of the most iconic robots in all of science fiction history. But Anthony Daniels, the English actor who’s been the voice inside the golden metal suit since 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, has revealed to Empire that he was unhappy with his character’s role in The Last Jedi. “In The Last Jedi I became a table decoration, which I regretted, because Threepio was worth more than that,” Daniels said. “But he does all sorts of weird stuff in this one (The Rise of Skywalker). It was a delight, a joy! I get to go out on a high. This is my third ending and I think I’ll be saddest about this one. Return Of The Jedi was… well, it had the Ewoks in it, for God’s sake!
Watching The Last Jedi, one can see how Daniels felt sidelined; Threepio spent most of his limited screen time rusting on Vice Admiral Holdo’s Resistance ship while his buddy R2-D2 got to go on a secret mission with Rey, Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker. It’s pretty hard for a metal guy to work his millions of forms of communication to anyone’s advantage while he’s sitting on the bench.
Threepio has popped up prominently in several The Rise of Skywalker trailers, appearing with glowing crimson eyes in one while apparently taking “one last look” at his beloved “friends” in another. The notoriously outspoken Daniels certainly seems to be hinting at an expanded part for his chatty droid in the final installment.
C-3PO’s increased participation in the finale has meant a lot to Daniels. Oscar Isaac (Poe Cameron) told Entertainment Weekly that Daniels delivered an emotional speech to the cast and crew on the last day of shooting. “To be there and to hear Anthony Daniels say goodbye to Star Wars, who is the one person who has been in all of them including, I think, most of the cartoons — he is Star Wars.”
"For me, in any of those scenes, when I was working with Anthony, that’s when it would really hit home that he is the one link that would really made me feel like this is part of a great, great legacy. To be the guy that wrapped right before he did and to hear him say goodbye was really special."
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker explodes on movie screens on December 19th, 2019.
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